Chapter 5
Nell
The message arrives just past eight in the evening, right when I've finally managed to understand the chapter on “invisible currents” in the damn book. My phone vibrates on the nightstand next to the bed so hard it almost falls to the floor.
“What the hell...?” I mutter through my teeth, frowning.
My first impulse is to ignore it, but then another message arrives.
It's important. It's about the first mission.
I stare at the screen in disbelief. Where did she get my number? Damn, these women seem to know everything about me: where I live, where I have breakfast, and now even my phone. I feel like a fish in a fishbowl, constantly watched. And the worst part is I'm starting to get used to that feeling.
Who the hell gave you my number?
The answer doesn't take long.
Does it matter?
Of course it matters, but I already know it's a stupid question. Kaelisar probably has access to my bank accounts, my medical history, and even the photos I delete from my phone. Though, thinking about it, I hope not the last one, because some of those photos I'd prefer to keep private.
I look at the time: 8:14 PM. It's late, but it's not like I have a normal schedule.
And the address... it's in the most exclusive part of the city.
Only rich people live there. I know because I've stolen from several of those buildings.
They have so much money they don't even notice when some of their jewelry goes missing.
I hesitate for a moment as I squeeze the phone between my fingers. Part of me, the sensible part, tells me to ignore the message and go on with my normal life. But another part, one that's getting stronger, feels curious. What if I really have magic? What if everything they've told me is true?
Damn, it would help me so much in my work.
My whole life I've been “different.”
The weird girl, the problem orphan nobody wanted to adopt, the one who always felt things others couldn't feel. Maybe it's the explanation I couldn't find. Or maybe I just want to believe it, because accepting reality: that I'm a thief who'll end up in jail sooner or later, is too depressing.
With a long, resigned sigh, I get up and pull a black hoodie over my sleep shirt. Before leaving, I poke my head into Colt's room.
“Hey, I'm going out for a bit, okay?” I announce quietly. “Don't wait up for me.”
He looks up from his computer and stares at me, puzzled.
“At this hour? With who?”
“With that girl from Estonia,” I respond with an innocent smile. “You know, the one you met this morning.”
“The supermodel? Hey, does she have any friends you can introduce me to?” he jokes, raising his eyebrows. “Be careful, okay? She's really hot, but she doesn't seem... normal. There's something about her that doesn't add up.”
“Says the guy who a month ago slept with someone who stole what we'd stolen first. Not a lot of normal around here,” I say, blowing him a kiss.
“At least take this, in case you need it,” he says, tossing me a small pepper spray.
Deep down, I feel guilty about lying to him. Colt and I have been together since we were kids in the foster system. He's the closest thing to family I have, and we've never hidden anything from each other. But this... this is too weird even to explain to him.
As I walk to the bus stop, my mind won't stop spinning.
I've read a small part of the book, but I haven't dared try any spells.
What if it works? What if it doesn't? I don't know which scares me more.
Why the hell am I going to the apartment of three magical creatures who could probably kill me with a snap of their fingers?
But if I don't go, Kaelisar would carry out his threat. And I can't risk Colt and the others. And that man seems much more dangerous to me than these three together.
The building is a modern tower of glass and steel. The kind of place where people live who earn in a month what normal people earn in a year. The doorman looks at me suspiciously when I enter, but soon gets a call and lets me pass without asking questions.
“Penthouse C,” he tells me, pointing to the elevator.
As I go up, I look at myself in the mirror.
With my short blonde hair, my worn jeans, and my black hoodie, I look exactly like what I am: a neighborhood girl who doesn't belong in this place.
For a moment, the idea that this might all be some kind of sick joke by people with too much money and too much free time crosses my mind.
Before I can knock, the apartment door opens, and I find myself face to face with Sylara.
“We were waiting for you.”
The apartment is impressive, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the entire city.
The decor is a strange mix: modern and minimalist furniture, but also objects that look ancient, almost mystical.
An aquarium takes up an entire wall, with corals and fish I've never seen before.
“Did you guys squat this place?” I ask curiously. “Because I've been in several houses in this area. Security is shit, though the hauls are good. But this apartment... damn.”
“It's ours,” Althea responds, emerging from what looks like the kitchen.
“Does Kaelisar pay that well?”
“Let's say we have resources,” Sylara responds.
“Where's the siren?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
“Sabina is...”
Before Sylara can finish the sentence, I hear the creak of a door opening. I turn and then I see her.
“Holy shit!” I breathe.
Sabina emerges from the bathroom wrapped in a cloud of steam, completely naked. But she's not like any naked woman I've seen before. Her skin has a tone between pale blue and aqua.
And her eyes... show an intense green that seems to contain entire oceans.
She smiles when she sees me. She doesn't seem embarrassed at all about being naked.
Quite the opposite, it's like she's enjoying my reaction.
She walks toward me with a movement so fluid it reminds me of water ripples.
Now I'm clear she's not human. She couldn't be.
She's too... beautiful. Too perfect. Too unreal.
I take another step back, bumping into a bookshelf. All the crazy stuff these three and that psycho Kaelisar have told me. All that shit about magic and elementals and Fae... maybe it's all real.
“Damn it, Sabina, put some clothes on,” Althea grumbles, looking up at the ceiling. “You're scaring her.”
“I'm not scared,” I protest, though my voice sounds a bit higher than normal and I can't take my eyes off her breasts. “I'm just... surprised.”
“Ugh, humans and their nonsense,” the siren sighs, whose skin begins to change and takes on a more natural, tanned, human tone. “Better like this?”
“Clothes, Sabina,” Sylara insists.
“Okay, okay.”
She grabs some shorts from a nearby couch and puts them on without any hurry. Pinning me with her gaze and smiling. Althea grumbles something I don't understand, but it sounds like a curse.
“Boobs too, siren,” she protests.
“Hey, I don't mind, okay? She can stay like that as far as I'm concerned,” I nod nervously, feeling myself turn red to the tips of my ears, though I still can't look away.
“Thanks for coming,” Sylara says, pointing to the couch and distracting me for a moment. “Please, sit down.”
I settle onto the couch. I try to seem calm, though my heart is beating like crazy. The three sit across from me, and for a moment nobody speaks, which is very uncomfortable.
“Okay, why did you call me?” I ask, letting out a small huff. “What's this about the first mission?”
Althea takes a laptop from the table and opens it, turning the screen to show me an enormous mansion.
“Grigore Voronov,” she sighs.
“Voronov,” I repeat.
The name gives me chills. I know him well, though not in person, just what I've heard about him. He's a regular client of my team. A millionaire with a weakness for stolen antiquities and a shitty temper.
“He's the current owner of the Arrow of Veritas,” Sylara explains. “Though he doesn't know what it really is. To him, it's just some kind of ancient relic, like so many others in his collection.”
“Wait, you want us to rob Voronov?” I ask incredulously. “That guy has military-level security. And I'd rather not tell you what he usually does to punish people, though it usually involves a chainsaw.”
“We're not going to rob him,” Sabina intervenes.
“Yet,” Sylara completes. “First, we need to verify a few things. Like the exact location of the arrow inside the house.”
“We think he has a vault in his master bedroom, but we need to confirm it.”
I'm starting to see where this is going, and I don't like it at all.
“And exactly... how are you going to get that information?” I ask, though I already sense the answer won't be pleasant.
The three exchange an uncomfortable look before letting the elf speak.
“Grigore hires a masseuse twice a week,” she explains. “He almost never repeats, but he always uses the same agency.”
“Who's going to pretend to be a masseuse?”
“You,” Sabina whispers, like it's the most natural thing in the world.
“Are you kidding me? I don't even know how to give a massage!
There's no way I'm going in there. One thing is getting thrown in jail if you get caught and another is getting your arms and legs cut off.
I'm sure some of you can grow them back, like lizards, but I can't,” I protest, shaking my head emphatically.
“Relax. It won't be as hard as you think,” the siren assures. “You just have to follow some basic instructions. The important thing is that you can explore his bedroom and find the vault.”
“And take pictures,” Althea adds, showing me a small camera disguised as a brooch. “We need to know what kind of security it has.”
Nervous, I run my hands through my hair, trying to process what they're asking of me. It's not that I haven't done risky things before, but this... this is complete madness. If Voronov discovers me...
“That guy is scary,” I murmur. “He's not like the rich idiots I usually rob. He's dangerous. And besides, why does it have to be me? Any of you could do it. You,” I point at Sylara, “you're a damn supermodel. I'm sure he'd hire you as a masseuse without even thinking about it.”
“Precisely why,” the Kobold interrupts. “We shouldn't draw attention and the one who draws the least attention here is you. We don't even know human customs well.”
“Why doesn't the siren use her powers and force him to hand over the arrow?” I insist.
“My magic works better in humid environments,” she explains. “And that place is dry, I'd be at a disadvantage against many people.”
“What about the mountain of muscles?” I propose, looking at Althea.
“I'm not exactly subtle, little one,” she growls. “It has to be you.”
“I don't have a choice, do I? I mean, either I do it or Kaelisar hands over all the evidence he has against my friends to the police.”
“I'm sorry,” Sylara hisses, and for the first time I see something like compassion in her gaze. “If there were another way...”
Althea stands and sits next to me. Her closeness emits a strange warmth, though comforting, like sitting next to a bonfire on a cold night.
“We'll prepare you well,” she promises, placing a hand on my knee to squeeze it lightly. “You won't be alone. If something goes wrong, we'll come in immediately.”
“Yeah, you three against Voronov's security?” I ask, making a skeptical face. “That would be three against at least twenty and all armed to the teeth.”
“You haven't seen what we can do when we get angry,” the Kobold sighs with a wink.
“When would it be?”
“In two days,” Sylara rushes to respond. “We've intercepted his usual request and included you as a replacement.”
I raise my eyebrows, impressed.
“Are you a hacker too?”
“You have to know a bit of everything in this life,” the elf explains with an enigmatic smile.
For the next hour, we go over the details of the plan. They show me how to use the camera, I get instructions on what to look for and how to behave, and Sabina even shows me some basic massage movements.
“We'll pick you up the day after tomorrow at eleven,” Sylara says. “Try to rest until then. And don't get into trouble.”
I nod and head toward the door, convinced this is the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life. Sabina stops me, grabbing me by the elbow just as I'm about to leave. Her touch is cool, like diving into a stream in summer.
“Nell,” she says in a low voice. “I know you don't trust us yet, and I don't blame you. But I want you to know we're with you. We won't let anything happen to you.”
As I walk back to my place, I feel the breeze caressing my skin, like it recognizes me, like it wants to greet me. But I also remember reality. In just two days, I'll face one of the most dangerous men in the country.
And if something goes wrong, nothing can save me.